2008 Woodie Awards
Che Guevara: The New Fashion Icon?
Lara Bueso
Issue date: 10/21/05 Section: Life & Times
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Walking through popular London street markets, images of Che float around on t-shirts, handbags, sweatshirts, mugs and even thongs! Could you even imagine wearing Che's solemn face over your...nevermind. Che's image has been used to sell Rage Against the Machine music, he's a New York grunge label, and even the name of a trendy store.
Che as the new fashion icon is not nearly a new phenomenon, nor is it restricted to Londoners. While walking the streets of Greenwich Village in New York, I found a large amount of students suddenly donning Che attire while simultaneously purchasing over-priced materialistic items from Urban Outfitters and local boutiques. While in Amsterdam I witnessed several potheads calling for a revolution, and even in Barcelona I saw those same blaring eyes staring at me wherever I turned. What we have here is complete confusion and ignorance of what Che actually stood for. I couldn't help but wonder how the Argentinean Marxist Revolutionary who supported a nuclear war with the United States, hoping to begin anew from ashes could be so popular? Then I thought silly me - it is not uncommon for young wannabes to idolize a man they know nothing about.
All we're saying is, if you're going to rock the shirt, at least know a little something about the revolutionary leader who sent thousands of people to their death while working as Castro's chief commander.
Although the film "Motorcycle Diaries" (one I enjoyed very much) glorifies the life of Ernesto Guevara (pre-Che), the majority of teeny boppers have no clue what the man stood for, his ideologies, his past, his connection with Castro, communism and hate. More importantly, those who strut the cities wearing the guerrilla leader with star beret on their shirts were born in a completely different generation, long after his death. I do agree that Che's original ideas of redistribution, fighting the imperialistic US and hoping to fairly represent the peasantry class were noble indeed, but his methods of doing so were not so dignified. And what gets me the most is that 90% of those wearing his image would never step foot in the middle of a remote South American village filled with suffering indigenous peoples who still live without electricity, running water, cement homes, schools and paved roads.
Che as the new fashion icon is not nearly a new phenomenon, nor is it restricted to Londoners. While walking the streets of Greenwich Village in New York, I found a large amount of students suddenly donning Che attire while simultaneously purchasing over-priced materialistic items from Urban Outfitters and local boutiques. While in Amsterdam I witnessed several potheads calling for a revolution, and even in Barcelona I saw those same blaring eyes staring at me wherever I turned. What we have here is complete confusion and ignorance of what Che actually stood for. I couldn't help but wonder how the Argentinean Marxist Revolutionary who supported a nuclear war with the United States, hoping to begin anew from ashes could be so popular? Then I thought silly me - it is not uncommon for young wannabes to idolize a man they know nothing about.
All we're saying is, if you're going to rock the shirt, at least know a little something about the revolutionary leader who sent thousands of people to their death while working as Castro's chief commander.
Although the film "Motorcycle Diaries" (one I enjoyed very much) glorifies the life of Ernesto Guevara (pre-Che), the majority of teeny boppers have no clue what the man stood for, his ideologies, his past, his connection with Castro, communism and hate. More importantly, those who strut the cities wearing the guerrilla leader with star beret on their shirts were born in a completely different generation, long after his death. I do agree that Che's original ideas of redistribution, fighting the imperialistic US and hoping to fairly represent the peasantry class were noble indeed, but his methods of doing so were not so dignified. And what gets me the most is that 90% of those wearing his image would never step foot in the middle of a remote South American village filled with suffering indigenous peoples who still live without electricity, running water, cement homes, schools and paved roads.